Page 34 of Carter
“Get in, now,” he barked.
I boosted Harper up first, my palm on her hip, shoving her into the relative safety of steel walls and bulletproof glass. Only when she was inside, eyes wide and locked on me, did I climb in after her. River and Gideon followed, the door slamming shut just as another round of gunfire cracked in the distance.
The SUV lurched forward, tires squealing.
I pulled Harper against me, one arm around her shoulders, my rifle resting across my lap. My heart was still pounding like I was on the stairwell.
This wasn’t over. Whoever was coming for her had reach. They’d found us once, they’d try again.
I bent my head, my lips brushing the crown of her hair. “They’re not taking you, Harper,” I swore, my voice raw, meant for her ears alone. “Not while I’m breathing.”
And as the city lights blurred past, I made myself a promise.
Next time, I wouldn’t just react.
Next time, I’d take the fight to them.
46
Harper
The SUV jolted forward, throwing me against Carter’s chest. His arm came around me instantly, anchoring me in place as though even the road itself was a threat he had to shield me from.
I clung to his shirt, the fabric damp with sweat and gunpowder, my pulse still skittering from the stairwell. The world outside blurred past in streaks of neon and shadow, but I couldn’t shake the sound of gunfire echoing in my ears.
It should’ve broken me. Maybe it would have, if not for him.
Carter’s lips brushed the top of my hair, his voice a low rasp meant only for me.“They’re not taking you, Harper. Not while I’m breathing.”
The vow stole the air from my lungs. Because I believed him. I’d always believed he’d come for me. But hearing it like that—raw, stripped of anything but truth—terrified me in a way the gunfire hadn’t.
Because it wasn’t just a promise of protection. It was a promise of sacrifice.
I lifted my head, searching his face. His jaw was clenched,his eyes sharp as he scanned the street through the window, but when his gaze flicked down to me, the storm shifted. For a heartbeat, I saw something softer, almost broken, before the mask slammed back into place.
“You’re shaking,” he murmured.
“I’m fine.” The lie slipped out before I could stop it. I wasn’t fine. My body trembled, my throat burned, my chest ached with fear and something deeper I didn’t want to name.
His hand slid down my arm, fingers lacing with mine. “You don’t have to be.”
The words cracked something open inside me. Tears burned my eyes, hot and fast. Not just from the fear of being hunted, but from the weight of realizing how much he carried—for me, for all of us.
I squeezed his hand, grounding myself in the steady strength of his grip. “Then promise me something,” I whispered.
His brow furrowed. “Anything.”
“Don’t die for me, Carter. Live with me.”
For a moment, silence filled the SUV, thick as smoke. River’s eyes flicked to us in the rearview mirror, but he didn’t speak. Gideon stared out the window, jaw tight.
Carter’s hand tightened around mine, his voice low but fierce. “I can’t make that promise, Harper. But I can promise this—I’ll fight like hell to make sure we both live through this.”
And even with danger closing in, I chose to believe him.
Because if anyone could drag us both out of this storm, it was Carter.
47
